Once Upon a Starlight Glade
by Grey Faerie
Summary: This story is about Legolas and his love, Arasgwenn.
1. The Tale of Their Meeting

The Tale of Their Meeting  
  
  
  
  
  
On a beautiful Mirkwood evening, Legolas was wandering through the forest, practicing his archery on the leaves. A sudden scream rang through the wood. Speeding through the underbrush, Legolas came upon a glade with a large stone in the center of it. The lore masters had always said that the clearing used to be used by Sauron, and that the stone had been the pedestal for his Palantir. Three Orcs were in the glade. They had with them an Elf-maiden. She was an elegant creature, with long, flowing brown hair and the finest features that Legolas had ever seen. Her eyes shone brighter that any of Varda's stars set in the night sky. She was beautiful. One of the Orcs took her by the arm and bashed her against the stone. Riddled with pain, she moaned and tried to get to her feet. Another Orc of the trio pulled her to her feet and smashed her head against the stone saying, 'That will teach you, wench, not to answer me!' She fell to the ground, unconscious. Shocked by the scene, Legolas had been paralyzed. Seeing the fair maiden lying helpless and bloody, he loosed an arrow from his bow, piercing the skull of the first Orc with one shot.  
  
  
  
  
  
He emerged from the brush challenging, 'Do not place your vile hands on that maiden once more, or I shall be forced to slay you!' The third Orc unsheathed his glaive. Legolas sent an arrow whizzing towards the Orc, piercing its heart. The second Orc did the same, brandishing his rapier. Using his own sword, Legolas slashed its stomach open and cut its head off, in one fluid movement. Relaxing and stowing his weapons, Legolas looked about the glade. The three Orc bodies littered the clearing, their dark blood staining the grass as burgundy as the sunset that was beginning to seep through the dense foliage. The maiden lay near the boulder, by which she had fallen. Blood was trickling from a gash on her forehead, down her pallid cheek. Legolas ripped a strip of cloth off of his cloak and wrapped it around the wound on her head, to stop the bleeding. He lifted the maiden from her bed of grass and cradled her limp body in his arms. 'How could they injure such a beautiful and enchanting creature as this?' he wondered to himself.  
  
Legolas sped back to the Royal House, with the maiden in his arms. He lay her down upon his bed. Seeing her safe, he ran to get help from a servant. After finding one, he led her back to his bedchamber. While the servant was bathing the maiden's wound, Legolas asked her to show him how to care for the maiden's gash. 'That is my duty', she said. 'But I wish to help', replied Legolas. The servant showed him how to keep pressure on the wound with wet cloths. Legolas sat by the maiden's bedside, caring for her wound, long into the night. He watched her body, looking for any sign of movement. 'O Iluvatar, do not let her be dead', Legolas pleaded. 'She is the most beautiful and elegant creature, I have ever laid eyes upon', he thought to himself. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered and slowly opened. She moaned and winced in pain. When her eyes opened again, Legolas asked, 'What is your name?' 'Arasgwenn', she answered. 'I hail from Mirkwood.' 'You are still in Mirkwood', he reassured her. 'Rest', he said, as he changed the wet cloths on her forehead. He placed his hand soothingly on her cheek. She relaxed, and fell back to sleep.  
  
As Arasgwenn's eyes opened, quite a long time later, she propped herself up. Surveying the room, she saw a lavishly decorated bedchamber. She was lying in a Mahogany, canopy bed with emerald-green silk sheets and pillows. A complementing silk comforter was covering her. A Mahogany wardrobe stood on the left of the door, which was directly across from the bed. A chair with a seat and back of emerald-green silk was to the right of the door. The youngest prince of Mirkwood, Legolas Greenleaf, sat on the bed next to her fast asleep. Seeing Legolas, she realized that she was in the royal house, in one of the princes' bedchambers. She left the beautiful room, and fled down the corridor.  
  
When Legolas awoke, stretching and yawning, he looked for the enchanting face of the maiden, beneath the canopy. Not seeing what he sought, Legolas left to ask about her. He was told by one of the servants that the she had left some time ago. 'She looked rather upset', the servant said. For weeks, Legolas asked everyone he met if they knew of a maiden named Arasgwenn. No one knew of an Elf with that name that abode in Mirkwood. He wandered the forest, seeking the maiden who had enchanted his mind and captivated his heart. After several months, Legolas began to despair, thinking that he would never see the elfin beauty again. He had heard only five words from her beautiful lips, but he knew her voice. He had fallen in love with her and he sought her with his whole being. 'Does she love me?' he wondered to himself. 'No', he answered. 'If she loved, she would have sought me. What if I find her and she does not have the ardour for me that I have for her?' Legolas pondered.  
  
One night, while deeply sleeping, Legolas dreamt that he was wandering through the forest, weaponless, searching for something or someone, albeit he knew not what or whom. The emerald foliage formed an impenetrable canopy overhead. Entwined trunks surrounded him. No definite path was beneath his feet. He wandered through the forest. Suddenly, a sweet voice came wafting through the wood. Legolas began to follow the voice that was calling him. It sang:  
  
'Legolas, son of the king, You know where you once dealt a sting. Against an evil three you fought.  
  
I know for whom you've sought. Come to me, wanderer of wood. Come to me, where I once stood.  
  
Beside the stone, inside the glade, Where once I would have met my grave, If you had not come, my life to save.  
  
Come to me, Legolas.'  
  
He awoke and sat upright in his bed. Putting on his clothes, he stole done the corridor. He left the Royal House, bypassing his weapons. Legolas strode through the forest. The dense foliage and the gnarled trees were just as they had been in his dream. However, he knew whom he sought. Peering through the entwined trunks, Legolas' eyes fixed upon a figure, caught in a moonbeam, in the center of a starlight glade. Sitting on a stone, the figure was singing a beautiful song to itself. Legolas knew the song well. It recounted the love of Wendelin, one of Lorien's sprites, and Tinwe Linto, Lord of the Solosimpi. It was a beautiful poem put to music. Emerging from the under brush, Legolas stood in the clearing. 'Arasgwenn!' he called. The figure turned her head. When she saw the tall, noble figure of Legolas outlined by the moon's light, she fled the glade. 'No, come back!' Legolas called again, albeit in vain. He followed Arasgwenn from the clearing. Her silver gown trailing, she looked as though she were but an apparition. Legolas lost sight of her, as she sped through the forest. He stopped and sank to his knees, weeping.  
  
After much time had passed, Legolas heard Arasgwenn's voice reassure, 'Do not despair. I am near.' He sat upright, asking the unfound voice, 'Why do you flee me?' ' I have played upon the hospitality of the royal family for far too long', the voice answered. ''Tis not true. I have sought you for many months. Why did you answer not my call?' queried Legolas. 'I have hindered you far too much', replied the voice. ''Tis folly to think such a false. I have sought you with my whole being. You have enchanted my mind and captivated my heart', Legolas divulged.  
  
Arasgwenn stepped from behind a tree. Her long silver gown shimmering in the moonlight, she strode towards Legolas. He got to his feet, unable to move forward. Her dazzling beauty paralyzed him. Stepping in front of him, Arasgwenn unclasped a silver barrette from her hair, letting it flow over her shoulders as though it were a tawny waterfall. She ran her elegant fingers through Legolas' long, blond hair. He melted under her touch. She pulled his hair back, clasping the silver barrette, which the moon glinted upon. Arasgwenn stood before him, glorious in the starlight. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. For a long time, they stood across from one another, Arasgwenn silent, Legolas speechless. Finally, he asked, 'Why did that trio of Orcs attack you as they did?' 'I was wandering the forest, alone, as I commonly do. I happened upon the glade in which you found me. The three Orcs were seated around the stone. They captured me and demanded to know where the Royal House was. Knowing that three Orcs had no business there, I denied them the information they sought. They began beating me for not cooperating. I cried out in pain and you came to my rescue. If it had not been for you, Legolas, I would have most certainly met my death at their hands', Arasgwenn said.  
  
'I am glad to have had the privilege of saving such a beautiful and noble creature as you', replied Legolas. They stood a while longer in silence. 'Why did you flee the Royal House?' he asked. 'I, a commoner, awoke to find myself in the most handsome of all the princes' bedchambers, in his bed. The prince was fast asleep, in a chair, in the same room. I could not remember what had taken place. Would you have not fled if you were in my position?' queried Arasgwenn. 'Aye, indeed I would have', replied Legolas, although he was more interested in the fact that she found him the most attractive of all the princes.  
  
They walked through the forest together, hand-in-hand. Legolas perched himself in a tree, lifting Arasgwenn up after. They sat together in the tree for a long time, watching the sunrise, its light filtering through the foliage. Arasgwenn sang as beautifully as a nightingale, just as she had in the glade. Realizing that someone might worry about them in their absence, Legolas walked Arasgwenn to her home. Her home was a log house built around the trunk of a tree, which stood in the middle of a clearing. Smoke rose from a chimney and candlelight shone through the open windows. Exchanging farewells and a soft kiss, Arasgwenn climbed the flight of stairs, in the trunk of the tree, to her home. Legolas walked back to the Royal House, recounting all that had happened that night. Upon arriving home, he found that it was past breakfast time. When asked of his absence, Legolas said that he had been troubled and could not sleep. Therefore, he went for a walk. Often from then on, did Arasgwenn and Legolas walk in the forest together or sit in a tree, deep in the wood. They grew very close to one another. About one year after their meeting, Legolas was called to act as a messenger of his father's to the council of Elrond, in Rivendell. This had been of his vile brother Lyghun's plotting. They said a bitter farewell and Legolas embarked upon his journey. 


	2. The Lovers of Mirkwood

The Lovers of Mirkwood  
  
Often during his travels with the Fellowship of the Ring, had Legolas yearned for his beloved Mirkwood and his love, Arasgwenn. To Legolas, Arasgwenn was fairest of all the Children of Iluvatar. Her eyes, of grey, shone brighter than the ancient Telperion. Her long, brown hair was the colour of the bark of the trees, in which they sat together. Arasgwenn also loved Legolas more that anything in all of Middle-Earth or beyond. Long had Legolas dreamt of arriving home victorious into Arasgwenn's loving arms.  
  
The long-awaited moment had come. Legolas and Gimli stood on the very doorstep of Thranduil. With great surprise, the guard allowed them entry and took them into the inner halls. Thranduil recognized his youngest son as soon as he gazed upon him. Rushing from his throne, he ran and embraced his son, never wanting to let go of him again. Legolas was joyous to be in his father's arms once more. After their reunion, Gimli was introduced and shown to a guestroom. As soon as Gimli had departed, Legolas inquired as to where he could find Arasgwenn.  
  
A pained look came over Thranduil's face. He returned to his throne and took a seat. 'While you were away,' Thranduil explained, 'you're vile brother, Lyghun, told Arasgwenn that you had found a maiden more fair than she and you intended to return home never again.' 'This would be impossible if I searched all of Middle-Earth and the abyss for all of my years,' answered Legolas. 'Aye, but Arasgwenn believed him. She departed that same, dreadful night, giving us not a way to stop her. We did not yet have the knowledge of any such happening. She left for the Grey Havens, according to her closest family. I am sorry, my son,' consoled Thranduil. 'Where is this rogue that I once called a brother? I shall kill him with naught a weapon, but with my naked hands!' fumed Legolas. 'Thinking his duty done, Lyghun killed himself that very night,' spoke Thranduil. 'He is of great fortune that I did not first have his vile throat!' decreed Legolas. 'I realize how dearly you have paid for this act of jealousy and hatred, my son,' sympathized Thranduil.  
  
Legolas excused himself to his bedchamber. He laid his grieving body down on his bed. He thought of his beloved Arasgwenn. Legolas recalled the many times that they had walked together in the wood or perched together on a low branch of a tree, content to be near each other. He would climb onto a low limb and lifted Arasgwenn after himself into the tree. She would always sing as sweetly as a nightingale, singing of love and courage, defeat and victory. After much time alone together, Legolas' older brother, Lyghun, would come calling him home. Arasgwenn and Legolas would stay perched on the branch until Lyghun was nigh. Legolas would then jump atop Lyghun, knocking him down. Arasgwenn would leap into Legolas' arms and they would race Lyghun to the royal house.  
  
Lyghun had always been jealous of his younger brother. He also loved Arasgwenn, whose entire heart was for none but Legolas. Lyghun knew this and his hate for his brother only brooded and grew more. At every chance, he separated the two lovers. Thranduil knew this, but knowing not what to do, he left things to go their course. He loved Legolas dearly. Seeing his son and Arasgwenn together made him glad. Albeit the young woman was from a common family, Thranduil saw how Legolas looked at her and he knew that his son was deeply in love. He also saw the envy in Lyghun's eyes.  
  
The Mirkwood elves had been set charge of the creature Gollum. As result of their kindness, he had escaped. A messenger of Thranduil was to be sent to Rivendell to inform Elrond of the unfortunate happening. Under a guise of thoughtfulness, Lyghun had suggested that Legolas go in the stead of a messenger. Legolas, eager to aid his father, agreed. Thranduil consented, albeit against his best judgment. Legolas prepared, bade farewell to Arasgwenn, and departed.  
  
He arrived at the council and told Elrond of the great misfortune. Legolas then joined the Fellowship of the Ring and embarked on the journey. He had returned to his home, only to find his love gone because of his brother's treachery. She was gone forever because of Lyghun, the Deceiver. Legolas wept uncontrollably. The very thing that he loved most was gone from him forever. He wept for the entire night. When he awoke the morning after, Legolas went to his father and pleaded that he might leave Mirkwood, his family, and all of Middle-Earth to seek his love in the Grey Havens. His father sank into his throne and wept. 'I foresaw this,' breathed Thranduil. 'My son, you will be dearly missed. I understand your intent and motivation. I wish you good fortune, Legolas, that you might find your love and hold her in your arms once more. Fare ye well, my dear son.' Thranduil embraced his son. 'I shall see you again. In the Grey Havens, we will meet. Our people will soon be leaving this wood,' reassured Thranduil.  
  
Legolas, once again, prepared and embarked on a journey. Bidding everyone farewell, Legolas and his companion, Gimli, departed from Mirkwood and traveled towards the Western shore. From the coast, they set sail to the Grey Havens. Stepping on the sand of crumbled jewels, the companions made began to travel inland from the shores of Tol Eressea to the village of Koromas. Legolas searched for years for Arasgwenn, while burying Gimli, reuniting with family, and wandering all of Tol Eressea.  
  
Having given up hope, Legolas sat in a wood weeping. He thought of his love, her beautiful face and voice, her elegance and cleverness. He thought of all that he had lost and would never have or hold again. He wept in the wood, by himself. Hearing a beautiful bird singing, Legolas stopped. It was a familiar song, but he could not name the beast from which such a lovely, yet sad, music came. He forgot his sorrow and followed the haunting sound. He wandered until he came upon a moonlight glade. 'From whence does such sorrowful song come?' inquired Legolas, nearing despair. A shadow stepped from behind a tree, into the moonlight glade. 'From me does this song of loss and grief come,' answered a voice belonging to the shadow. Legolas recognized the beloved sound. Running toward the shadow, he once again held Arasgwenn in his arms. 


End file.
